Ebola For Sale - The Website, That Is
Michael A. Katz | | Oct 14, 2014 01:05 PM EDT |
(Photo : Reuters) Just because the World Health Organization called ebola the "most severe acute health emergency in modern times," that doesn't mean money can't be made from it.
An opportunistic domain squatter is looking to capitalize on the Ebola epidemic by selling the rights to the website Ebola.com for what he says is a "reasonable" $150,000.
Just when you thought Internet domain squatting was so 15-years ago, Jon Schulz, president of Blue String Ventures is bringing it back into the news - and with chutzpah, reports The Washington Post.
Like Us on Facebook
In 2008, Schulz bought the domain www.ebola.com for $13,500.
"According to our site meter, we're already doing 5,000 page views per day just by people typing in Ebola.com to see what's there," said Schultz. "We're getting inquiries every day about the sale of it. I have a lot of experience in this sort of domain business, and my sense is that $150,000 is reasonable."
But lest you think Schulz has an affinity for the ebola virus, he does not. He also owns the Internet domains birdflu.com and H1N1.com, as well as websites for the lesser known diseases Chikungunya and Marburg.
While squatting on a domain named after a disease in order to make money off it may appear to be unseemly, it's a rather common practice for large companies, particularly pharmaceutical and health care companies. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), for example, owns the rights to the domains Cancer.com and Obesity.com. An affiliate of GlaxoSmithKline owns Diabetes.com and Pfizer has the right to Arthritis.com.
Those pharmaceutical companies are likely Schulz's potential targets as he looks to cash in on the fact that the most recent, and most dangerous, outbreak of the disease has been front-page news for weeks.
"Ebola.com would be a great domain for a pharmaceutical company working on a vaccine or cure, a company selling pandemic or disaster-preparedness supplies, or a medical company wishing to provide information and advertise services," Schultz told CNBC. "There could be many other applications as well. With so many people concerned about the disease, any advertisement referring people to Ebola.com should get an excellent response."
Tagsdomain squatting, Ebola.com, Jon Schulz, Blue String Ventures
©2015 Chinatopix All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission
EDITOR'S PICKS
-
Did the Trump administration just announce plans for a trade war with ‘hostile’ China and Russia?
-
US Senate passes Taiwan travel bill slammed by China
-
As Yan Sihong’s family grieves, here are other Chinese students who went missing abroad. Some have never been found
-
Beijing blasts Western critics who ‘smear China’ with the term sharp power
-
China Envoy Seeks to Defuse Tensions With U.S. as a Trade War Brews
-
Singapore's Deputy PM Provides Bitcoin Vote of Confidence Amid China's Blanket Bans
-
China warns investors over risks in overseas virtual currency trading
-
Chinese government most trustworthy: survey
-
Kashima Antlers On Course For Back-To-Back Titles
MOST POPULAR
LATEST NEWS
Zhou Yongkang: China's Former Security Chief Sentenced to Life in Prison
China's former Chief of the Ministry of Public Security, Zhou Yongkang, has been given a life sentence after he was found guilty of abusing his office, bribery and deliberately ... Full Article
TRENDING STORY
-
China Pork Prices Expected to Stabilize As The Supplies Recover
-
Elephone P9000 Smartphone is now on Sale on Amazon India
-
There's a Big Chance Cliffhangers Won't Still Be Resolved When Grey's Anatomy Season 13 Returns
-
Supreme Court Ruled on Samsung vs Apple Dispute for Patent Infringement
-
Microsoft Surface Pro 5 Rumors and Release Date: What is the Latest?